Essay About Lone Chaw

Thut Ti Lethwei Gym lies on eastern side of Inya Lake, in Yangon, tucked away in a narrow alley. Even when you walk right in front of it, the exact spot is hard to find without asking a resident.

Yet, this Spartan facility is famous, and for good reason: under its corrugated roof, among the few training tools available, one of Myanmar’s best lethwei fighter – Lone Chaw, a name that resonates in Myanmar’s former capital - has shaped his career.

Lethwei is the country’s traditional martial art, a discipline that is practiced without gloves – only cotton bandages to protect one’s hands – and allows for a number of different moves. Opponents can be punched, kicked, grabbed by the neck and even head-butted.

Matches are relatively short - only

Tall, still muscular in spite of having retired a few years ago, he went beyond what most other fighters manage to do, becoming a champion recognized all over the country.

A native of the Ayeyarwady Delta - the area which was struck by Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 - he first took interest in lethwei after witnessing a fight in a village. From then on he trained without pose, first as a part time farmer, then as a full time professional under Mr. Win’s supervision.

He doesn’t speak much, and when he does, it is usually with a soft smile – he almost seems a different person from the one you see punching adversaries down to the ground in not-so-old videos.

He says he had his best time as a fighter when he became national champion: “I was happy because I honored my region. But it was before Cyclone Nargis.”

Age has eventually caught up with the old champion, and he now helps Mr. Win train the next generation of lethwei fighters.

Among these is Gaw Mu Do, who is following in his footsteps and will fight for the Golden Belt title on June 26 in Mandalay. It might not be this match that will herald him as the successor of Lone Chaw – or that will make lethwei famous in the world, for that matter – but for the small gym close to Inya Lake it is another